Costa Rica

Costa Rica is an eco-traveler’s paradise, with places such as:

• Arenal Volcano - active volcano
• Cahuita National Park
• Chirripo National Park
• Corcovado National Park
• Manuel Antonio National Park
• Monteverde and Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserves
• Pacuare River and Protected Zone
• Tapanti National Park
• Tenorio Volcano National Park

November to April is the dry season, so it is usually easier to travel around the country. The beginning of the rainy season (May to July) is also a nice time to be there. Costa Rica’s rainy season is tropical style. You don’t get the constant rain all day long. What you get is one big shower for 1 – 2 hours a day in the afternoon. So, if you don’t mind taking a nap in the afternoon and re-start your excursions after the nap, it is not bad at all to travel during this time (especially since you can often get good discount for hotels and tours during this time.) In fact, you would probably appreciate this daily shower to cool down the summer heat.

The peak season is December to January. If you plan to visit during the late December holiday season, you should definitely book at least half year ahead. Also, many resorts/hotels require a minimum of 7 nights stay during peak season.

Costa Rica has one of the best tourism infrastructures in Central America.

A decent mid-range hotel room costs around $60 - $150 per night. $12 - $20 per person will get you a decent meal.

Depends of the area – here are some guidelines for hotel prices:

In San Jose: starting at 60 USD per night
In Arenal: starting at 120 USD per night
In Manuel Antonio: starting at 200 USD per night
Osa Peninsula: starting at 160 USD to 900 USD per night with all meals
Tortuguero: starting at 300 USD per night with all meals
Guanacaste: starting at 140 – 200 USD per night
Monteverde: starting at 120 USD per night

A luxury five star hotel room starts around USD $300 per night and can go up to $1000 per night – depending on luxury level and amenities. $30 - $40 per person will get you a gourmet meal.

If you travel in Costa Rica during the low season (May – October), you might get a good 20 – 30% discount for your hotel stay. Many hotels offer things like, stay 5, pay 4 nights!

Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a republic in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east-southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army. Among Latin American countries, Costa Rica ranks 4th in terms of the 2007 Human Development Index, and 48th worldwide. Costa Rica is ranked 5th in the world in terms of the 2008 Environmental Performance Index, up from the 15th place in 2006. In 2007 the government of Costa Rica stated that they want to be the first country to become carbon neutral by 2021.

The country’s effort in environmental protection has reflected on its active promotion of sustainable tourism. Large number of its tour-operators and eco-lodges are members of Rainforest Alliance or other similar sustainable tourism organizations. The government and the tour industry understand that sustainable tourism is not “nice-to-have”, but is essential to the country’s tourism and economic devolvement.

In Pre-Columbian times the indigenous people, in what is now known as Costa Rica, were part of the international Intermediate Area located between the Mesoamerican and Andean cultural regions. It was the point where the Mesoamerican and South American native cultures met. The first European to reach what is now Costa Rica was Christopher Columbus in 1502. During Spanish Colonial times, the largest city in Central America was Guatemala City.

Costa Rica joined other Central American provinces in 1821 in a joint declaration of independence from Spain. After a brief time in the Mexican Empire of Agustín de Iturbide Costa Rica became a state in the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823 to 1839. Costa Rica's membership in the newly formed Federal Republic of Central America, was short lived; in 1838, long after the Central American Federation ceased to function in practice, Costa Rica formally withdrew and proclaimed itself sovereign.

Historically, Costa Rica has generally enjoyed greater peace and more consistent political stability compared with many of its fellow Latin American nations. Since the late nineteenth century, however, Costa Rica has experienced two significant periods of violence. In 1917-19, Federico Tinoco Granados ruled as a dictator until he was overthrown and forced into exile. Again in 1948, José Figueres Ferrer led an armed uprising in the wake of a disputed presidential election. With more than 2,000 dead, the resulting 44-day Costa Rica Civil War was the bloodiest event in Costa Rican history during the twentieth-century. Afterwards, the new, victorious government junta, led by the opposition, abolished the military and oversaw the drafting of a new constitution by a democratically-elected assembly. Having enacted these reforms, the regime finally relinquished its power on 8 November 1949 to the new democratic government. After the coup d'etat, Figueres became a national hero, winning the country's first democratic election under the new constitution in 1953. Since then, Costa Rica has held 12 presidential elections, the latest being in 2006. All of them have been widely regarded by the international community as peaceful, transparent, and relatively smooth transitions.